Sir Naruto the First
by wizardyherbert
Summary: Once upon a time, there was a young boy named Naruto. In one universe, he became a great shinobi, the leader of his village. In this world, something else happened. What if young Naruto was the first in a thousand years to learn the way of the knight. Pairings undecided but probably NaruTen. Rated M for my plans for later.


**Hello all! So, this fic idea came to me after I listened to an hour long lecture on the knights of feudal Europe, because that's what my life has come to at this point. So, I had this idea, what if, in a time of need Naruto found comfort in a book of fairy tales? This is an extremely OOC and slightly AU fic. Obviously, in this fic, knights did exist in the past of the Elemental Nations. Also, if you wonder about Naruto's investment in the character of the 'chivalrous knight' and him speaking in very outdated ways, imagine if, from a young age, a child studied everything about a culture, read all the books, idolized the members of it. So, he becomes absorbed in it, and it bleeds into his speech and actions. Alright, enough of my ranting, let's get into the fic. P.S. I know the time skips are excessive, I swear this is the only chapter that will have any real major ones. I'm bad at writing filler in the beginning of stories.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own a single thing. If i did, well Naruto would have left Konoha at age six.**

The city is bright, lit by the lights and fireworks of festivity. The laughter of children can be heard, echoing through even the outskirts of town. The smell of food and burning firewood overpowers even the ever present scent of the forest tonight. The festivities, however, hide a much darker reality for the 4 year old Naruto Uzumaki. He runs through the streets, chased by a drunken mob, on the day the rest of the village celebrates as the destruction of the Kyuubi. He can only run for so long, and both parties know it. Naruto is beginning to panic as we join him, around the thirty-five minute mark. His feet slap against the cobblestone, tiny in comparison to the stomping of the mob chasing him. "Get back here demon! We will get our revenge tonight!" shouts one of the men in the mob. Naruto recognizes the voice as a chunin that he pranked a couple weeks ago. 'Why do they hate me so much? What did I ever do?' he thinks to himself as he runs. A rock grazing his ear and sailing past him reminds him that such thoughts only serve to distract him. He keeps running picking up the pace, but merely a few minutes later, a shopkeeper steps out in front of him, flanked by two more chunin, distinguished by their flak jackets. He stops immediately, looking around to find another escape route. He despairs when he sees no way out, and begins to cry when he's hit in the back of the head with the ring of a kunai. The chunin smashes him in the back of the head with it a few more times, then steps back, allowing the civilians to send a barrage of household items, rocks, and their fists at him. He curls up in a ball, sobbing, trying to endure the attacks. After a few minutes, Inu jumps down from a rooftop, flanked by five other ANBU. "Back away now. I have the full authority of the Hokage to execute any civilians who do not immediately evacuate the area. The four traitors do not have that privilege. They will be executed either way. I would advise not making poor Neko-chan here chase you, she can get rather invested in the chase, and has been known to take her time killing her prey." The aforementioned Neko-chan nods her head, and the Chunin can almost feel the grin through the mask. Inu walks over to Naruto, the civilians giving him a wide berth as he kneels down and gently picks up the boy, carrying away as one would carry their own little brother. He hops into one of the trees and begins jumping between trees in the direction of the Konoha hospital, trusting that one of the ANBU with him has already gone to notify the Hokage, and that the rest can handle the situation themself. He continues jumping through the trees and over the rooftops, taking great care not to jar the child in his arms. Once he reaches the hospital, he walks past the receptionist, ignoring her protests, and goes to the nearest open room. He places Naruto down gently, and walks back out, met by two or three nurses. "Get a doctor to this room, immediately." says Inu, his voice steely and cold. "B-but ANBU-san, th-th-that is the d-demon child!" Inu's eyes go dark at the nurse's words. "Get a doctor now, and tell him if he has a problem healing Naruto-kun, he can deal with Inu and the Hokage-sama! Go!" he shouts, watching dispassionately as she sprints down the hall. After a few minutes of Inu standing vigilant watch, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage, arrives. Inu snaps to attention, saying with respect, "Hello, Hokage-sama." Hiruzen gives him a gesture, and Inu falls to ease. "Give me the brief, Inu-san, and make it snappy." "Hai, Hokage-sama. At 0937 tonight, Uzumaki Naruto was attacked by a mob of approximately twenty-seven civilians led by four Chunin, most likely inebriated, and labouring under the impression that Naruto is a demon. He was brutally beaten for seven minutes and fourty-three seconds with a multitude of weapons and household objects. I found him in the fetal position, and brought him here. I left four ANBU at the scene to keep the civilians in check. Brief concluded, Hokage-sama." Hiruzen nods, having expected the excessive detail from a prodigy such as Inu-san. "Hokage-sama! I had no idea you would be here!" shouts a doctor from down the hall, running towards them. "Hello, medic-san." says Hokage-sama, calm even in a time of great distress for someone he cared for as his own grandson. He pushes open the door, and walks into Naruto's hospital room. His eyes clench shut and his hands begin to shake. 'How could anyone do this to an innocent child?' He thinks to himself, not even his years of experience with war and death allowing him to accept what he sees before him. Uzumaki Naruto is laying on the bed, barely breathing, both arms at odd angles, his blonde hair dyed red with his own blood. Hiruzen brings the doctor in, and stands watch for the whole two hours of healing necessary, making sure the doctor doesn't make any 'unfortunate mistakes'. At the end, the medic is ushered out by Inu, and Hiruzen is left alone with Naruto.

"Naruto-chan" he says softly, "Wake up mago."

Naruto mumbles a few incoherent words, clinging to the last vestiges of sleep.

Hiruzen chuckles, and says, "Inu has a present for you."

Naruto's eyes shoot open, and he exclaims with excitement, "Presents! Yay!" Hiruzen watches Naruto burst through the door, searching for Inu.

"I'm in here, ototo." Inu laughs, sitting in a chair in the waiting room. Naruto sprints in and jumps on his aniki, giving him a flying hug. The lazy ninja wraps one of his arms around Naruto, happy to see him safe. "Where's my present?" Naruto asks, almost immediately. "Right here." He says, holding up a large rectangle covered in wrapping paper. Naruto absentmindedly notices the cute pugs all over the paper. He wastes no time tearing the paper off, excited, but his face falls when he sees a large, leatherbound book. "Don't get all mad yet, ototo, it's a super cool book!" Naruto gets a smile back on his face. "It's a book about fairytales! Warriors fight dragons and save princesses, just like you will when you become a ninja!" Naruto giggles at the image of him fighting a dragon to save his only girl friend, Ayame, dodging jets of fire and seeing her in a big pink dress. "Alright, i'll read it, just a little. But if it isn't cool i'm stopping!" Naruto says. "Alright, ototo, sounds good to me." Naruto grins and hugs Inu again. "I love you aniki." says Naruto. Naruto can't see it, but Inu blushes under his mask.

As soon as Naruto is released from the hospital, he runs through the streets, slipping through crowds of people, all the while clutching the large book. His ever-present grin widens when he sees his run-down building in the distance. He pushes his legs even faster, trying to get home as soon as possible. He giggles while he runs. This is the first book Naruto actually owns, and also the first time he won't have to sneak past that cranky old hag to try to find some super-cool jutsu. Maybe he'll even get to see how to fight a dragon! Then he can prove how cool he is to all the villagers, and they'll all love him! He nods to himself, already knowing this to be true. He finally reaches his apartment building, throwing open the battered door. He runs up the stairs, getting to his room and shoving the key into the lock. He pulls the door open, and throws the book onto his couch. "Alright, i'll get back to you in a minute." he says to the book, searching through the drawers in his kitchen. "I'll find you kettle! 'Tebayo!" He searches through more drawers, pots clanging together as he pushes them aside. He finally finds his bright orange kettle, and pulls it out of the drawer. He walks it over to the sink in the corner of his kitchen. He puts it in the sink, and turns the spigot on. Every few seconds he glances over to the book on his couch, his hands fidgeting. Finally, the kettle is full. He pulls the kettle out of the sink, and places it onto his stove. After he turns on the stove, he walks over to the book on the couch, and opens the cover. The first story is titled _The Princess' Tower_

 _ **Story start**_

 _Once upon a time, in the land of Syf, there lived a beautiful princess. She was born to the king and queen of the land, and for a time, they lived happily. But, one day, a terrible beast came to the land, from the distant mountains of the east. It was a dragon! Its whole body was adorned with spikes, from its snout to its tail. It was covered with thick scales that made it impervious to the bowman. When it came to the land, it eliminated all that stood in front of it with snaps of its mighty jaws and spitting huge gouts of fire. It smashed through the villages, ravaging the land. One day, the dragon came upon the castle of the king. He smashed through the walls, destroying the king's guard in a second. The king and queen watched on, helpless as their daughter was taken by the dragon, and he stomped off to his lair._

"No way!" Naruto shouts, "The dragon took the princess! Who's gonna save her?" He asks himself, totally invested in the story. He's stopped by the whistle of the kettle. He sighs, puts a napkin in the book to mark his page, and stands up. He puts on his orange oven mitt, and grabs the kettle. He pours it into the open container of instant ramen on the counter. He sits back down at the table, and goes back to reading.

 _After the princess had been taken, the king held a tournament. He was desperate to find the best warrior in the kingdom, hoping they could save his precious daughter. Knights came from all over the kingdom. All said, over five hundred knights were set to participate in the tournament. Many of them came with huge weapons, the most expensive armour they could get made. They came on beautiful stallions or pulled in carriages. They came with squires carrying hundreds of pounds of finely polished equipment. But one knight, James Whit, came with none of that. He came on his family's six year old worn down horse. He wore his father's simple plate mail, covered in dents and scratches from previous battles. The plate mail is simple, with no adornments, smooth and simple. He carries with him a shortsword and a handaxe, both used previously by his father, sharpened by hand, attached to a belt of leather. He rode into town amongst the laughter of his fellow knights, but he held his head high. He knows that he will make his father proud. John continues walking, hearing the laughter of the knights around him. Once he reaches the arena, he sits outside of the entrance, and recites his father's code in his head like a mantra. Be brave, fight until victory or death. Attack swiftly, and do not underestimate your opponent. Be chivalrous, but be the face of death to your enemies. And, most of all, live your life day to day. Don't keep your gaze in the future, it will only lead to you tripping now. John recites this code a few more times in his head as a calming mantra. John sits at the entrance for thirty more minutes, watching the other knights slowly trickle up to the entrance. John pays them no mind. Once they are all there, the king appears on the top of the wall. His deep voice rings out through the courtyard, silencing the knights, "Hello, and good morning. Time is of the essence, so I will get right to the point. Once you enter this arena, you will fight your fellows until only one remains. The winner will get glory beyond their wildest dream, and they shall be picked as my champion to rescue my daughter, the princess." Some of the knights begin to draw their blades. "Alright, good sirs, enter the arena. Remember the knight's code, and fight with honor." The knights all cheer, and they all stomp into the arena. Now, reader, you must understand something. There are very few things that knights love more than combat. They spend most of their time either in combat, training for combat, or drinking ale and telling stories. In fact, those are two of the three things they love more than combat. Drinking ale, telling stories, eating meat, and combat are a knights four favorite things. On the battlefield, knights have been told to be the happiest when knee deep in fallen foes. Even on the battlefield, they will follow their personal code to the end. John is the epitome of all these things, and this is what allowed him to use the power of the Knight Art. When he went into the arena, there was only one possible outcome, and he knew it. As soon as the fighting started, his blade flew through the air, killing four before anyone else could blink. He waded through the enemies, the blood of his enemies on his sword making him swifter, stronger, and his blade sharper. When his sword dulled, he used his axe, when his axe broke, he killed his enemies with his bare hands. At the end, the arena was littered with corpses, and he was left with nary a scratch. The king was amazed! This man with dented armor and dulled sword was to be his champion? He was skeptical, to be sure. But he had seen the proof of his strength, he was drenched in blood. So the king gave him a horse, a new sword, and the location of the dragons lair. The knight rode out, his head held high, ready to fight any manner of beast. Once he reached the dragons lair, the dragon laughed, and asked, "They sent thou to defeat me? The humans have truly grown pathetic." The knight didn't respond to the taunt, instead drawing his blade. He nicked himself, smearing his blood down the length of his blade. As the dragon approached, he said calmly, "Knight Art: Infinite Strike" He swung his blade, and a beam of light flew off it. It cleanly severed the head. He had felled the beast in a single strike! He walked into the dragon's lair, ignoring the treasures and walking up to the princess. He placed her on the back of his horse, and rode off, triumphant._

Naruto had only one thing to say after reading the story. "I'm gonna learn the Knight Art and become a knight!"

 **3 Days Later, in the Hokage's Office**

Hiruzen rubs his temple, trying to stave off the inevitable headache that comes from dealing with the Hyuuga and Inuzuka heads being in the same room along with seven other volatile clan heads, arguing over the challenges for that year's Chunin exam. All Hiruzen wants at this point is to get some of his special tobacco and read his icha-icha. He lets out an audible groan when he sees little Naruto-kun sitting in the waiting room. "Who did you prank this time Naruto-kun?" Naruto scoffs, looking honestly offended. "Nobody Jii-san! I'm here 'cuz I wanna talk to you!" "Oh. Well, in that case come on in." Hiruzen walks into his office, perplexed at what Naruto would want to talk about. Naruto sits in his normal chair, the left of the two chairs in front of the Hokage's desk. "So, what did you want Naruto-kun?"

"I want to learn the knight art so I can become a super-cool knight and gain the respect of all the villagers!" Hiruzen chuckles a little at his enthusiasm.

"Well...I suppose I can give you a few minor scrolls. Nobody has learned that in a very long time though… Alright, Naruto, how about this. I will give you three scrolls on training, one scroll on low level technique, and one scroll to bring to Kobayashi." Naruto almost jumps out of his chair with joy but stops himself at the last second. He elects instead to ask,

"Umm, Jiijii, who is Kobayashi?" Hiruzen pulls out a piece of paper, writing down directions as he says, "He is a village weaponsmith. He should be able to help you out with your gear." He hands him the piece of paper and the five scrolls. "He closes at 5 o'clock, so make sure you go before then." Naruto nods quickly, excited to go immediately. He grabs the scrolls and the paper, and runs out the door. He sprints through the crowd, dodging pedestrians and occasionally glancing at his directions. After a few minutes of running, he stops outside of a small weapons shop. He pushes the door open, hearing the bell above the door ding. He looks around, awed at the huge racks full of weapons. "Hello, welcome to Kobayashi's Weapons!" Naruto hears from the back of the shop. He walks in the direction the voice came from, and sees a huge man wearing a blacksmith's apron and leather pants. "Hi sir!" says Naruto. The man turns around to look at him, and naruto sees that his face and hands are covered in soot. "Hello there little one!" he says in a deep, jovial voice. "How can I help you today?" "The Hokage told me to come here and give you this scroll." Naruto hands over the scroll. The man opens it, nods a few times, and says.

"Did you want the konoha symbol on the shield or on the chestplate? It isn't very specific." 'Oh my god! Jijii is gonna get me armor!' Naruto shouts in his head. "Umm, how about you put it in the center of the shield."

"Okay, it'll be ready in a week." Naruto nods, holding back a scream of excitement. He is about to walk out, when he sees a small girl with brown hair pulled into two buns. He waves at her with a grin, and says "I'm Naruto, and i'm gonna be the best knight Konoha has ever seen! What's your name?" The girl blushes and mumbles something. "What?" "I said I'm Tenten. My dad runs this shop." She looks back at her father fondly.

"Ohh. Are you gonna go to the ninja academy Tenten?" She nods. "Great! We'll see each other there then!" He walks out after that declaration, excited to begin training. He doesn't see her face turn even more red while he walks out, and he wouldn't have understood if he did see it.

 **Three hours later**

Naruto's muscles are screaming. 'Is this really what I need to do to become a knight?' he asks himself, glancing at the scroll hanging out of his backpack. His first exercise had been 1000 pushups, situps, squats, and star jumps. It said it was to get ready for the weight of the armor. After that, he had to stand on his hands for fifteen minutes. We return to him on his third lap around the whole of Konoha, with seven more to go. After this he has to do multiple different chakra control exercises, and after that he has to do the basic Knight Taijutsu kata for a cooldown. He sighs. It looks like it'll be a long path ahead of him, but he knows he can do it. "I don't care what I have to do! I'm gonna be a knight! Dattebayo!"

 **One week later**

Naruto wakes up that morning and immediately hops out of bed.

"Today's the day!" He shouts, pulling on his pants as quick as possible. He hops out of his room while putting on one of his socks. He barely avoids tripping over one of the practice swords on his floor, and finishes pulling on his left sock. He throws on the first shirt that smells relatively clean, and walks out the door. He quickly retraces the path from his house to Kobayashi's Weapons, taking advantage of the emptiness of the streets early in the morning. He quickly reaches the weapons store, and waves to Tenten. She opens the door for him, and tells him her dad is in the back. He walks back, and is greeted by the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. A suit of shining plate armor, with lions on the shoulderpads, and beautiful patterns going down the arms and legs. There is a sheath hanging from the left hip and attached to the back. Hanging next to it is a large kite shield with the Konoha symbol emblazoned on the front. Next to the armor is a rack of medieval European style weapons. "Beautiful, ain't she? You get to take a shortsword and a broadsword with it too." Naruto walks over the the rack, still in awe. It takes nearly no time to pick out the swords he wants. He first picks up a fourteen inch dual edged shortsword, with a ruby on the bottom of the hilt. He puts it in the sheath hanging from the left hip with reverence, still admiring every inch of the beautiful armor. He walks back to the rack and sees a 39 inch broadsword with one smooth edge and one serrated edge. The hilt is simple, nothing extravagant. Naruto places it in the sheath on the back, and looks at Kobayashi, still in shock. "There are a couple minor seals in there to make the armor more adaptable and easier to use. When you put on each piece, it will adhere to the other pieces until you pull it off, making it easy to take on and off. It will grow with you, so you won't need a new set when you hit growth spurts. It's got gravity seals to help with training, and it's about 3 inches thick, so many strikes with kunai and shuriken will glance right off. She's a real beut, and she's all yours." Naruto wordlessly hugs the man around one of his legs. Kobayashi picks him up, and puts him back next to his armor. "Put it on, brat!" Naruto nods slowly, and picks up the chestpiece, putting it on first. He then puts on the legs, arms, and foot protectors. Kobayashi points out a seal near his neck. "Push that one to unfold the helmet or to refold it. You won't need it in anything but a combat situation." Naruto, finally finding his voice, can only say thank you repeatedly. "Alright, alright! I know i'm great! Now take your shield and go!" Naruto picks up the shield, and walks out of the shop, the happiest he's ever been in his life.

 **Time skip, two years later, Naruto's first day at the ninja academy**

Naruto has grown a lot in the past few years, and that can be seen in almost every facet of his life. The most noticable change is his weight. He has gained a good twenty-five pounds, all of it muscle. His shoulders have widened, and he has the body of somebody who has worked their whole life. Another change is his pattern of speech. He speaks as if he was brought straight out of a fairy tale, using outdated European slang. He has mastered his style of taijutsu, and is a fairly high level kenjutsu fighter. He knows a few minor Knight Art techniques, and the three basic Ninjutsu. Beyond that, he has barely any long-range techniques, and no ability in illusions at all. His armor is polished to a sheen, not even a dent on it. He polishes and cleans it every day, as he does with both of his other weapons. He can be seen today walking through town, his heavy footfalls not allowing for much stealth. He walks towards Kobayashi's Weapons quietly, not having anyone to speak to on the short walk. Once he reaches the weapons shop, he sits down on a small bench outside and pulls out a pastry. He eats the pastry while waiting for Tenten to come out the front door of the shop. Soon after he finishes the pastry, the bun-haired girl does exit the shop. "Hello, Naruto-kun." "Hi Tenten! Are you excited for the first day of the Academy?" Tenten nods, and says just as enthusiastically, "Yeah! My dad totally stocked me up on all my weapons! I'm ready to kick some ass!" Naruto gives her a metal-clad high five, and they begin to walk towards the academy. Tenten's light, trained footsteps provide a contrast to Naruto's armored stomp as they echo off the walls of nearby buildings. Naruto absentmindedly fiddles with the hilt of the shortsword hanging from his belt. While he is excited, he is also scared. What if he gets kicked out and then he can't go on missions? What if they put him on a different team from Tenten? What if he never graduates and he's stuck as an academy student forever? 'No' he thinks to himself, his mental voice filled with steel, 'I can't think like that! I am a knight! I am strong, a warrior with honor!' Naruto nods to himself, his six year old face full of determination. (A/N: i couldnt phrase it in a way that made it not sound like an undertale joke T_T)

"Hey Tenten?" "Yeah Naruto?" "I hope we're on the same team. I'd really miss you if we weren't." Tenten gets a little blush on her face, and says quietly, "I'd miss you too." Naruto nods, and wraps his arm around Tenten's shoulders. "We have nothing to worry about, friend! Why wouldn't they want to put the best Knight in Konoha and the most badass Kunoichi ever on the same team?" Tenten suddenly becomes very interested with the concrete when he compliments her so passionately. Normally, Tenten would never act like this around anybody, but something about Naruto just makes her act all weird. Naruto walks along, oblivious to the older girl's thoughts. Tenten sends a heated glare at one civilian who picks up a rock when the walk by. She flashes the ring of a kunai at him, and he quickly drops the rock. Tenten walks on with a small, smug smirk. She forgets to stow the kunai in her pouch, however, and unknowingly dissuades four more would-be attackers. Soon after they pass Ichiraku's Ramen. Naruto stops to greet Teuchi, who is preparing the stand for when it opens at noon. "Hey Naruto! I told you last week that Ayame's gone, so no breakfast ramen this week." Naruto looks slightly sad about this, mumbling "Oh...I forgot…" "So, today's the day huh?" Tenten notices her friends disappointed mood, and decides to speak up for him. "Yeah, it's our first day at the academy. I'm pretty excited." Teuchi looks over at the unfamiliar girl, and a wicked grin spreads across his face.

"Say Naruto, if you had told me you were taking your girlfriend out for a date today I woulda gotten up earlier to make you that ramen!" Tenten's eyes widen, and Naruto sputters indignantly, "Tenten isn't my girlfriend! We're best friends! And I'm way too young to even have a girlfriend! And even if i did like her she is a lady and I never asked her dad." Teuchi scratches his beard, the grin only having widened from their response.

"Whatever you say Naruto. Maybe you like Ayame-chan anyways…I do approve." Naruto shouts, "No! What's wrong with you old man? Why don't you go read Icha-Icha and leave me alone!" Teuchi chuckles and turns back to his stand. Naruto stomps off in a huff, grabbing Tenten's hand to pull her along too. 'Heeheehee… i'm a proper lady…' Soon after their interaction with Teuchi, they see the entrance to the ninja academy. A small group of clan heirs stands outside of the entrance in a tight bunch. Naruto spots one eating chips and one sleeping on the ground. Naruto says,

"Let's go talk to our fellows-in-arms! Come on!" Naruto jogs over, his armor shaking in time with the clinking with his chain mail.

"Hello!" He says loudly, seemingly directed at all of the people gathered there. A few of them just look at Naruto. The Inuzuka, Kiba, says, "Hey armor guy! I'm Inuzuka Kiba, and this is my partner Akamaru!" A tiny puppy pokes its head out of his jacket and yips a few times. Tenten pets the puppy, whispering baby talk phrases to him. "I'm Akimichi Choji. The sleepy guy on the floor is Nara Shikamaru," The black haired guy on the floor waves slightly, not even opening his eyes. "The one next to me with long hair is Hyuuga Neji" Neji gives Naruto a slight bow. "The one in the trench coat and glasses is Aburame Shino." Shino nods. "The one leaning on the wall over there is Uchiha Sasuke. Don't expect any greeting. And finally, i'll let you two introduce yourselves." Choji steps back, taking a potato chip and eating it.* "Hello comrades! I am Uzumaki Naruto, the best knight in all Konoha!" Naruto gestures with his shield to emphasize his statement. Shikamaru opens one of his eyes when Naruto says knight, and Neji's eyebrows shoot into his hair. "Hi. I'm Tenten. I'm a weapons specialist." Tenten gets a few handshakes and a friendly hello from Kiba.

"So I heard that Kakashi Hatake is gonna retire when we graduate. Can you believe it? Kakashi Hatake, the Copycat Ninja is gonna take a team of genin! Imagine how badass that team will be!"

When Kiba finishes his sentence, Neji steps forward and says to the group, "My father says that Sarutobi Asuma has recently returned to Konoha from the service of the Fire Daimyou, and will be taking a team from our graduating class as well. It would seem that our class will be the best and brightest to come out of Konoha in a long time." Naruto interjects, "Of course it will ! I am sure our victories will bring much glory to Konoha!" Kiba nods enthusiastically with Naruto, but everyone else seems to be confused about his jovial nature. Choji plops down next to Shikamaru, letting the rest of the heirs gossip on while he talks. "Hey Shika," He whispers to Shikamaru, "What's up with armor guy? Why is he so happy?" Shikamaru opens one of his eyes slightly to look at Choji. "Ugh. I can tell this guy is gonna be troublesome. Look, he said something about being a Knight. Most Knights and practitioners of Knight Art in the past were known to be boisterous, overly friendly, and happy almost all the time. In combat though, they were said to be demons. And he's way too loud." Shikamaru closes his eye again, going back to his nap. Naruto continues to talk to everyone, with varying levels of success. Kiba embraces him wholeheartedly, but the more reserved heirs like Neji and Shino have more trouble talking to him. As they talk, the civilian children begin to arrive in groups of two or three. By nine there are about 90 kids there by Naruto's estimate. Tenten keeps talking to Neji, finding him very interesting. Naruto, on the other hand, introduces himself to every single person who arrives. For some reason he doesn't understand, most of the civilian children shun him. He shrugs, and walks back over to Tenten just as the doors to the Academy open. "Ah! It is time to get one step closer to my goal! Let us go friends!" Naruto marches in, followed by Kiba and Tenten. Everyone else takes another few seconds before walking in as well. When Naruto walks in, he sees a poster with four lists of names. "Alright kids, listen up. On this poster are four lists. Find the one your name is on, and go to that classroom." Naruto listens to the random teacher and looks for his and Tenten's names on the poster. 'Class 3' he thinks, pushing past a few people to find Tenten. He taps the girl and says,

"Class 3." Tenten nods and follows him, looking around to see who else is following them. She notices that all of the heirs are coming with. She sees two girls, one with pink hair and one with blonde hair, following closely behind Sasuke, arguing. She rolls her eyes 'Of course we had to get the fangirls in our class.' Naruto keeps walking, looking around at all the civilian children surrounding him. He clanks into class, drawing the attention of everyone near him with his loud footsteps. He takes a seat in the back of the classroom, the weight of his armor making the seat groan beneath him. Tenten sits in the seat next to him, slightly alleviating the nervousness that even he is not exempt from. Tenten flips a kunai in her hand over and over, slowly becoming faster until all that can be seen is a grey blur spinning in a circle. Naruto pulls out a rag and begins to rub non-existent dirt off of his pristine armor. They don't have to wait long, as a man with an x shaped scar on his face walks in. He stands in front of the chalkboard, back straight, no anxiety in his face, and says clearly, "Hello class. My name is Iruka. I am your teacher, and I have a few rules. Rule Number One, you will respect your fellow classmates. Rule Number Two, you will listen when I speak. Rule Number Three, There will be no pranks, loud talking, sleeping, or eating in class." Kiba, Shikamaru, and Choji all begin shooting glares at Iruka. "If you have a problem with any of my rules, you may tell me. We can arrange a sparring match and settle our differences." He surveys the room, and appears satisfied that nobody has spoken up. "Alright, we'll begin our lesson with…"

Naruto feels like he is being tortured. This has to be illegal. This class is the most boring thing he has ever had the displeasure of dealing with. Naruto must have been sitting here for hours, staring down at his desk, fighting off sleep. All Iruka does is drone on and on, and Naruto has completely tuned him out, as a six year old does when he doesn't care at all about what you are saying. He knocks his head on his desk a few times, and looks over at the clock, hoping it's close to the end of the day. He has to bite down on his knuckle to keep from screaming. 'How has it only been fifteen minutes? It feels like hours!'

 **One Week Later, the first Academy Sparring Day**

Naruto rolls out of bed on Monday to the sound of pounding at his door, blinking his eyes slowly a few times. He brings a hand up to rub the sleep out of his eyes, and stands up. He slowly stumbles towards the door, still barely awake. He kicks a few stray ramen cups out of the way of his door, and pulls it open. He is greeted by Tenten, full dressed and ready for school.

"Hey Naruto." She says, a slight quiver in her voice. Naruto knows he can detect some underlying emotion in her sentence, but he can't identify it. Why is she so complicated? Why are girls so complicated in fact?

"Ohayou Tenten, what's up?" Naruto swears he sees a small flash of anger flash through her eyes.

"Oh, well I just came by to say WHAT THE FUCK NARUTO?" Naruto recoils slightly, not expecting the outburst. He lets out a nervous chuckle and says,

"W-whats the problem Tenten?" She takes a deep breath through her nose and says,

"Naruto, do you know what time it is?" Naruto glances over at a clock and says 8:30.

"Naruto, what time do we have to leave if we want to make it to the academy from my house in time?"

"Umm, eight o'cl- oh shit. I'll get my stuff you wait here!" Naruto frantically sprints through his house, sloppily putting on his armor as he freaks out. In a record two minutes thirty seconds he returns to Tenten and says,

"We can make it if we sprint!" Tenten nods and they both sprint out of his apartment building.

"Hurry, Hurry!" He shouts, seeing the academy ahead. They just barely make it, earning a disapproving look from the teacher at the door. They hurry to their classroom and plop down in their respective chairs, letting out a simultaneous sigh of relief. Iruka walks in not even thirty seconds after they sit down, Iruka walks in and stands in front of the classroom.

"Alright, class, today is sparring day! We're gonna go outside to the sparring fields and i'll partner you guys up. Now remember, this is just a spar to see where your taijutsu skills are at. This is not a fight to the death, so don't act like it is. Any serious injuries or death to your opponent will result in expulsion, as well as jail time and possible execution. Yes, children can be executed for murder, so don't think you can kill that guy you don't like and get off easy. Now, let's head out there and let's do this." Naruto stands up with the rest of the kids, and surveys the room. He notices that a few people look particularly eager to test their skill, otherwise known as showing off. He sees this specific brand of arrogance in both Neji and Sasuke's face. Naruto walks out, a grin plastered on his face. 'I hope i get to teach them a lesson.' He thinks to himself, cracking his knuckles. They all crowd around the training field, excited to see the fights. Iruka calls a few pairs, all small, inconsequential fights. But then, he hears it. Iruka says loudly, "Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke, please come onto the field." Naruto stands up, a grin plastered on his face.

"Go Sasuke-kun! Crush that weirdo into the ground!" screams a fangirl from the crowd.

"Yeah! Destroy that kid! Do it for me!" screams Yamanaka Ino, one of his least favorite people in the world. Naruto reaches the field, and looks across it. He sees Sasuke, standing with his hands in his pockets. He watches Sasuke open his mouth, but Naruto holds up his hand at him.

"Let's just skip the trash talk, huh? I want to get to the part where I crush you, and my glory in this fight proves my worth to my peers." Sasuke scoffs, and shoots at him, attempting to put him out quick. Naruto blocks his opening strike, push kicking him in the chest to push him away. Naruto jumps forward at him, throwing a few elbow strikes at him. Sasuke blocks a few, but the power behind them push him back a few feet anyway. Naruto hits him in the chin with an uppercut, and then jumps up and pushes him into the ground with an axe kick. Sasuke flips away from the kick, leaving Naruto to make a huge crater in the floor. The fangirls have quieted at this point, even them in awe of Naruto's skill. Sasuke jumps at him, hitting him in the back of the head with a side kick. Naruto takes the blow and grabs Sasuke's foot. He smashes Sasuke deeper into the crater by his foot. Naruto takes the advantage and begins pummeling Sasuke with a flurry of blows. Sasuke plants his foot into Naruto's face after a few seconds of taking his blows. Naruto is sent out of the crater, followed closely by a flying side kick from Sasuke. Sasuke hits the kick, and sends Naruto 30 feet at least. Tenten watches on, slightly worried at this point. Her worries are alleviated as Naruto pushes the seal to put his helmet on, preparing to hunker down and take a few blows from Sasuke. Sasuke, seeing that there aren't any apparent vulnerabilities anymore, grabs Naruto's arm. Naruto quickly punches his arm off, making Sasuke recoil in pain. Naruto roundhouse kicks him in the head, and then punches him in the nose. He slowly gets up after the devastating combo, but Naruto can see him stumble slightly. Naruto stomps over, taking his time. Naruto wants to truly crush the arrogance of Sasuke, to show him how outclassed he is. Naruto reaches him, and his arm suddenly blurs. Instead of hitting him at full strength, Naruto just places his hand on Sasuke's head, and pushes him into the ground like pushing a knife through butter. The students watch on in awe as the Last Uchiha is crushed by the weird loud kid. Iruka stares in awe, having expected sasuke to win, and says, "Uzumaki Naruto is the victor!" Tenten is the only one clapping while he walks off the field, most of the other students too in awe to do much of anything. Naruto walks over to Tenten, almost as happy as the day he got his armor. He stands next to Tenten, and hears,

"Good job Naruto. I knew you would win." Naruto gives her a blinding smile, and they both turn back to the field. After a few boring fights, Tenten finally gets called up, along with Hyuuga Neji. "I hope you don't expect to win. No offense, but i doubt you have the skill or the luck of your friend." Says Neji, in a way that doesn't seem mean, just as if he is stating facts. Neji walks forward calmly, and says, "I'll end this quick." He jabs her lightly on her elbows and knees. Her brow furrows. "Those weren't very powerful punches." "They weren't supposed to be." She attempts to move her arm to punch him in the face, but it doesn't move. Neither do her legs, in fact. "I paralyzed your elbows and knees. I'm afraid it was your fate not to beat me. Goodbye." He taps her forehead and everything goes black for Tenten. Naruto restrains himself from running onto the field, seeing Iruka walking to collect her. Neji walks off the field, his face still impassive, having barely exerted himself. He stands by the battered Uchiha. Naruto thinks 'They're a good match for each other. They are both arrogant assholes.' Naruto watches the rest of the fights with interest, enjoying the exhibition of his comrades skills. Tenten joins him a few minutes later, having been unparalyzed, and they enjoy the rest of the matches together.

 **Timeskip, Three Years Later, Ninja Academy final exam.**

Uzumaki Naruto has changed yet again in the time we've been away. He finally hit a much needed growth spurt, reaching the height of 5'8. His shoulders have broadened again, carrying his polished armor with pride. All of Naruto's equipment has been polished even more vigorously than normal, something he does on every special occasion, almost as a calming ritual. He hasn't changed much aside from his appearance; the Hokage has restricted him from any stronger techniques until he becomes a chunin and is 'ready to handle them', whatever that means. He sighs and rubs his tired eyes. Him and Tenten got to the Academy early today, not wanting to be late for their final Genin exam.

"How long has it been?" Naruto hears a groan erupt from his companion.

"Naruto, can you stop? It annoys even me when you ask what time it is every two seconds. Other students will start coming in like thirty minutes. Can you let me get some rest please?" Naruto sighs in acceptance, and she closes her eyes again. 'I wish I knew why she always gets so grumpy in the mornings.' Naruto pulls out his broadsword, placing it on the ground. He then grabs a roll of linen from his ninja pouch and pulls off the wrappings on the handle of the sword. He begins to meticulously rewrap the handle.

"You went up four inches too high." Says Tenten, not even having to open her eyes. At this point in her ninja career, Tenten has so much expertise on both weapons and Naruto himself that she can give him pointers on what he's doing wrong without even watching him make the mistake. Naruto nods and redoes the wrapping appropriately.

"Better." She says, having heard the rustling of the linen and assuming he had fixed it.

"Ah, Tenten, Neji shall arrive momentarily." Tenten opens her eyes and looks in the direction Naruto is looking. Sure enough, the long haired Hyuuga is walking towards them stoically, followed by Sasuke. "Oh great it's the Stoneface Twins."

"Tenten! That is very dishonorable to speak in such a way about our comrades!" Naruto says, affronted. Tenten rolls her eyes but drops the subject.

"Hello fellows! Tis a good morning eh?" The only response he gets is a stiff but polite nod from Neji, getting nothing at all from Sasuke. Naruto huffs, slightly put out. He doesn't understand the point of not answering when someone speaks. It's just rude, with no benefit Naruto can see. Naruto shakes his head, and picks his broadsword back up. He swings it a few times to make sure the linen is firm enough to give him a grip. Once he is satisfied, he sheathes it on his back and greets the newly arrived Choji. They talk casually for a few minutes, Naruto enjoying having someone to pass the time with. They talk until the entrance to the school is fully surrounded by other students. Choji walks away from Naruto soon after Shikamaru arrives, leaving Naruto alone to deal with what seems like an eternity of boredom. It would seem that an eternity is not as long as Naruto assumed, when a mere 5 minutes later, Iruka and two other teachers come out and gesture the students in. Naruto walks in with the rest of the students, looking for Tenten while he walks. He sighs when he doesn't see her. 'Guess I'll find her when we get inside.' He thinks to himself. His broad armored form spreads the crowd as he plods towards the classroom. He looks around, surveying the crowd of students. He sees a lot of nervous faces in the crowd, but the same amount of arrogance and self-confidence. Naruto himself doesn't particularly know how he feels about the test. He doesn't think he will fail per se, but he isn't feeling as if he will simply breeze through the test. Naruto thinks that he has the amount of nervousness that any nine year old child should reasonably have for one of the biggest tests of their life. He takes a couple deep breaths, attempting to remove the remaining nervousness from his body. Once he feels prepared, he walks into the classroom and is greeted with the sound of fourty kids murmuring to each other. He looks around, ignoring the deafening noise and finally finds Tenten at her normal seat. She appears to be driving a kunai into the space between her fingers quickly, at a speed that makes Naruto wince. Naruto walks up the stairs to his normal seat next to Tenten. He gives her a smile, wincing when he sees how strained her return smile is. "Don't be nervous Tenten! I am sure you will achieve glory in this test!" Her face becomes slightly less strained and she gives him a more sincere smile. Naruto turns back to the front of the classroom, happy that he could help cheer his friend up. He stares through Iruka, looking off into space as Iruka calls people's names. He barely pays attention as people earn their hitai-ate and leave one by one. He blinks a few times when he hears his name called, not really comprehending it. He finally stands up once Iruka says his name once more, this time using his infamous Big-Head Jutsu. Naruto shudders as he walks into the testing room; that technique is so creepy. He walks into the middle of the room, and waves to Mizuki. Mizuki stares at him impassively and he sighs. After a few seconds of enduring an awkward stare from Mizuki Iruka walks in to start the test.

"Alright Naruto, are you ready?" Iruka asks with the practiced ease of someone who has said the exact same thing numerous times. Naruto nods, still having a slight amount of nervousness in his mind. "Alright Naruto, first, perform the substitution." Naruto substitutes himself with the log they provide, and then substitutes back. Iruka nods and writes something down on his clipboard. "Alright, now perform the Henge Jutsu." Naruto turns himself into a perfect replica of Tenten, an impressive feat considering the bulkiness of his armor and Tenten's rather petite stature. Iruka walks over to get a closer look, studying for any imperfections or distortions. He nods again at the perfect execution and makes another note. "Finally, perform the Bunshin jutsu." Naruto winces. Even after having prepared for this for many months, he still doesn't know if he has the chakra control to make a perfectly executed Bunshin. He puts his hands into the handseal and summons a Bunshin. He closes his eyes, but when he hears "Good job Naruto, you pass." He jumps into the air and shouts, "Yatta! I knew it! I'm the best!" He snatches his hitai-ate out of Iruka's hands and runs out of the room, ready to start the new chapter of his life. 


End file.
